Slippin’ ‘n’ Trippin’ is classic Victor Bailey, a Tour de Force of grooves, catchy tunes, stellar sidemen, and some great bass work. Even with appearances from Ron Carter, Lenny White, Omar Hakim, and Billy Cobham to mention just a few, the focus remains on great compositions and Victor’s unique stamp on the music. He steps out and features his musicality beyond the bass, (Vocals—Keys—Drums) always a bit tricky to make happen, but follows through with a solid and very musical effort.

I would label this a “fusion” CD, but to be clear, fusion in the sense of multiple genres fused together to compliment the compositions, not the stereotypical “fusion” definition many still cling to. For me, the more of this type of approach, the better. It’s clear that Victor had a lot to say on this latest Solo-CD. His impressive playing and the music, irrelevant of the style, were simply and obviously the vehicle to express what’s happening for him musically and personally at this point in the game, and the man seems to be doing very well. A great sounding 21^st century effort, and worth checking out.

Slippin’ ‘n’ Trippin’ by Victor Bailey available online at Amazon.com